Method of drying liquids.



0. S. SLI-IEPER. METHOD 0F DRYING LIQUIDS. APPLICATION FILED 050.1. 1908.

lsla Patented July 20, 1915.

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METHOD 0F DRYING LIOUIDS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.1. 1908.

Patented July 20, 1915.

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METHOD 0F DRYING LIQUIDS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. I. w08.

1146,96" Patented July 2o, 1915.

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METHOD 0F DRYING LIQUIDS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. l. 1908. y

1 ,l1-16,965. Patented July 20, 1915.

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@LVER S. SLEELER, OF BUFFALO, NEW

YORK, ASSIGNOB, T0 BUFFALO FGUNDRY .hlllID MCHINE COMPANY, 0F BUFFALO, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

METHOD 0F DRYING LIQUDS.

Lidd.

pecilcation of letters Patent.

Patented July 2d, wird.

Application filed December 1l, 1908. Serial No. 465,519.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, @LIVER S. SLEEPER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bualo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Methods of Drying Liquids, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a method of dr ing in vacuo, any liquids containing soli s, emulsions, or pulps, such as dyewood extracts, white lead, glues, icals and so forth, and has the object to enable liquids to be dried more thoroughly,

`expeditiously and economically than has been possible by the methods and apparatus heretofore employed for this purpose.

In the accompanying drawings consisting of 4 sheets: Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a vacuum drying apparatus Yfor practicing my improved method and embodying my improved construction. Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof partly in section. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section in line 3 3, Fig. 1. Figs. 4 and 5 are horizontal sections in lines lf-4 and 5-,-5, Fig. 3, respectively.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. y

In practising my improved method of drying liquids the liquid to be dried is presented in the form of a shallow stream to a heated member which is movable in vacuo so that a thin film of the liquid is icked up by said member. The material w ich dries on the hea ted member is'rernoved therefrom 'preparatory to applying a fresh coat of undried liquid on the heated member. The

liquid to be dried is supplied to the stream in excess of the amount which is ca able of adhering to. the heated member an the surplus escapes from the tail of the stream. This surplus is caught at the tail of the stream and again fed tothe same at the head thereof so that a constant circulation takes place of the liquid te be dried.

By this means the stream is always of a uinform depth to properly coat the heated member,-thereby insuring uniformity in the roduct. p

A though my invention may be practised by means of an apparatus of different constructions that shown in the drawings is suitable for the purpose and is constructed as follows: A represents the vacuum or milk, acids, chemdrying chamber which has a semi-cylindrical top While its lower partl is constructed to form a liquid supply basin or reservoir. B and a product receiving chamber C, said liquid basin and receiving chamber being arranged side by side and separated by an intervening upright wall or partition d, as shown in Figs. 3, d and 5. Atthe top of the drying chamber the same 1s provlded with a vapor outlet a which is connected with a vacuum pump or other eX- haustmg device for withdrawing the vapors from the interior of the drying chamber and facilitating the drying of the liquid y stock under treatment.

Lengthwise within the vacuum chamber is arranged a hollow cylidrical heating or drying drum E which is rotatable in tHe dir ection of the arrow 1 in Fig. 3 and which is Journaled by means of hollow trunnions e, e1L arranged on opposite ends or heads of the drum and turning in the adjacent walls of the vacuum chamber.

he rotation of the drum may be effected by a driving mechanism comprising a gear wheel f secured to the trunnion e1, as shown in Fig. 1, but any other suitable means may be employed for this purpose.

' The drying drum is preferably heated by steam which isV conducted into the same by means of a stationary supply pipe Gentern ing one of the hollow trunnions. rlhe water vinto the reservoir in any suitable way for instance by a supply pipe 6, as shown in Figs. 3 and d.

Adjacent to the lowermost part of the periphery of the drying drum and above the liquid basin is arranged a feed pan wherebya shallow stream of the liquid to be dried is supported so that the underside of the drum dips into the same. This pan comprises a curved bottom l and two curved ianges or ribs z arranged transversely at opposite transverse edges of the bottom.l ln

bearings e?. in

delivery pipe the normal position ot the pan the bottom thereof is arranged concentric relatively to the drum and its longitudinal front and rear edges are elevated above the intermediate part while the flanges i. bear against the periphery of the drum, thereby forming a shallow channel or passage between the and pan through which the stream of liquid dows from the iront longitudinal edge to the rear longitudinal edge of the pan. The liquid is prevented from escaping at the transverse edges of the pan bottom by the Hanges i, thereby avoiding the deposit of any liquid on the ends of the drum where its removal when subsequently dried would be dicult and also prevent the machine from being cleaned easily. Access may be had to the interior of the drying chamber through a man hole in a wall of the drying chamber which is normally closed by a cover l and the operation of the arts may be observed from the exterior y means of windows i* which are suitably arranged in the walls of the drying chamber for that purpose. The pan is capable of being moved toward and from the drum so as tonpermit of exposing its upper side for inspection and cleaning. For this purpose the samel is mounted at its front longitudi nal edge by means of an arm j on a horizontal roch shaft J7 which is. journaled lengthwise below the pan in bearings le on the ad#- jacent end walls of the vacuum chamber., The pan is moved into and out of its operative position by means ot a handle L secured to one end of the shalt d outside oi the drying chamber and held in place when the pan is in its operative position by means of a notch Zi on the handle which receives a clamping screw ZL on the outer side of the chamber, as shown in Figs. 2 and L he liquid to be dried is delivered into the pan at the head edge thereof by a horizontal longitudinal delivery pipe M ar ranged adjacent to this edge of the pan and provided with one or more delivery nozzles fm which project laterally over the head edge ot the pan bottom. The delivery pipe is supported on the end walls of the drying chamber and preferably receives its supply from the basin or reservoir in the lower part of the drying chamber. 'lhe liquid may be carried from the reservoir to the delivery pipe by any suitablemeans but preferably by' a rotary torce pump lil'which has its inlet connected with the4 reservoir while its outlet connected with the delivery pipe M. This pump should be placed a sudicient distancebelow the reservoir so that the liquid in the lattery dow by gravity into the pump and thus enable the same to carry the liquid to the delivery pipe which it otherwise. could not do owing to the counteracting edect of the vaporexhausting device which is con-l nected with the drying` chamber.

During the operation of the drier the pump is operated so that the quantity of liquid which is withdrawn from the reservoir by the pump and delivered by the norzles to the feed pan maintains a constant stream over said pan from the head to the tail thereof which completely fills the space 'between the bottom of the pan and the periphery of the drum. This stream is in e52- cess of the amount of liquid capable of adherng to the periphery of the drum as the latter sweeps through the same so that the drum always dips into the liquid a uniform extent the surplus escapes from the tail of the pan and drops into the reservoir below the same to be again put in circulation b v the pump. By this means av uniform coat of liquid is obtained on the drum at all times which results in a product of uniform quality.

In order to prevent the solid particles in the liquid from sett-ling in the reservoir the latter is provided with one or more agitators or stirrers o which may he constructed and operated in any suitable manner. As the film of liquid is carried away from the pan, the same is dried on the drinn owing to the heat of the steam therein and before the dried material reaches the pan the same is scraped from the periphery of the drnm by a scraper or blade P which engages the periphery of the drum in iront of the liquid feeding'- devices. As shown in the drawings this scraper is mounted on a horizontal shaftp which is iournaled lengthwise at the upper edge of the partition d and pressed conloo stantly for holding the scraper yieldingly engagement with the drinn by one or more weight arms pl connected with the scraper shaft outside of the drying chamber and each provided with a weight o, as shown in we Figs. l, 2 and 4; The dried material which is removed from. the drum by the scraper is directed by the same into the product receiving chamber C which latter preferably contains a box R for the reception ot the 1M dried material. This box is inserted in the receiving chamber and removed therefrom through an opening in one. of the end walls of the drying chamber which opening is normally closed by a cover The space in the drying chamber immediately above the receiving chamber is partly obstructed by a dust guard t which entends from they inner side of the drying chamber to within a short distance of the periphery 12431 of the drum and thus prevents the suction of the exhaust device from carrying the dest or line particles of dried material out oi the receiving chamber. y

l claim as my invention:

The herein described method of drying liquids which consists in presenting the liquid to be dried in the iol-m ot a continuously flowing shallow stream to the under side of a heated circular drum which latter im gil tiene the drum being dried thereon and removed continuously from the surface thereof preparatory to receiving a new coat of liquid, andsaid stream and body of liquid and the dried material being constantly n wenn.

Witness my hand this 30th. day of November, 1908.

OLllVER S. SLEEPER.

Witnesses:

THEO. L. Perf, E. M. GRAHAM. 

